I wonder if he has a legal leg to stand on? They’ll do anything to keep the salaries hidden from public eye view. Kenneth Copeland’s ministry is a non-profit organization, yet he refuses to be transparent to his donors or tax officials. That sends up massive red flags.
Copeland will take people’s money, but won’t tell them what he’s doing with it. Interesting.
Check it out:
Kenneth Copeland Ministries is fighting back against the Tarrant Appraisal District in a bid to win tax exemption for its $3.6 million jet.
In late January, the ministry filed a lawsuit alleging that the district had engaged in religious discrimination and had violated the U.S. and Texas constitutions by denying the exemption.
At issue is the ministry’s refusal to disclose to the district salaries of directors and employees, including Copeland, his wife and other ministers. The information is required for the exemption, district officials say. Source.
The apostle Paul said that those who preach the gospel should make their living from the gospel. Their living. I have no problem with a preacher receiving a salary. But, Paul never said that you could twist or pervert God’s Word to fleece money off of people so that you can live an extravagant lifestyle. Copeland would have you believe it is God who is prospering him, but God didn’t give him that money… he stole it off of the sick, wounded, financially destitute, and desperate. They took the money from their pockets, and put it into his pockets. Get it? The money didn’t come from heaven, it came from people. What people like Copeland won’t tell you is that the reason he is successful is because he has a biblically illiterate audience who are willing to give him their money. When he says God will return your offering ten, twenty, or one-hundred fold, he forgets to mention that if you don’t have the same dynamic he has (i.e. a large audience willing to give you money), you won’t make money. You put it into Copeland’s coffers, it’s gone!
Think about it! Are you going to give money to God only to get money in return? Or, are you going to give money to ministries who send out missionaries who preach the gospel in order that souls will be saved? Is this about your bank account, or lost souls?
As a native son of Tarrant County, Texas, it pleases me to see them give Copeland a hard time. I know, I should not take pleasure in the discomfort of my enemies. sigh
You stated, “The apostle Paul said that those who preach the gospel should make their living from the gospel. ”
I would be interested in knowing what Scripture you had in mind when you wrote this, as I am trying to better understand the Biblical instructions to me, regarding giving money to my church v. the Bible League.
Hi Manfred,
I’m sorry, I should have posted the Scripture when I said it. That statement from Paul can be found in 1 Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 14. Actually, the whole ninth chapter will give you some keen insights into this topic, and how Paul felt about it.
Preach on! I was lost in this deception for years and it was my then unsaved Husband who pointed out what a scam it all was.
It is a scam and these people and others have a LOT to answer for.
Ravening Wolves….
Many Blessings
Ace
Thanks, Chrystal
Certainly, we who profit from the teaching of the Word ought to profit those who teach us. It should be instructive to Copeland, et. al. how Paul refused to demand payment for himself (he certainly pushed for goods to be given to those who were starving, etc.) and did not permit himself to “live large” at the expense of the church.
Press on!
Manfred,
Exactly! You get it. You really do. I just wish everyone who support WoF teachers could understand this as well.
I remember the verse about freely given and freely returning, God blesses His saints with wisdom and some to teach His Word. That wisdom is a gift and it should be shared with others and not charging for that wisdom.
You said “The money didn’t come from heaven, it came from people.” So tell me how you expect God to give someone money if it isn’t through another person? It’s just going to rain dollar bills. Give me a break.
First, the reason that KCM fights so hard to keep their books private is not because they have something to hide. It is because they are fighting for our civil liberties. The easiest solution would be to show their books but they chose to stand up for what is right which takes more work. If they sit back and allow religious discrimination against them, then that just sets a precedence for religious discrimination against Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc. KCM has been very forth coming in volunteering to give all of their records to the IRS which is the only government body that has the authority to ask for this information. The IRS has said they do not see a problem and therefore have not requested it from what I understand. So, the problem is with everyone outside the situation who want to make up lies about them and stir up trouble.
This concept that preachers have to sell all they have and live like paupers is crazy. Jesus didn’t live in poverty. He had so much money He had a treasurer who kept track of things. Giving all you have to the poor is just a handout and won’t fix the problem. It just perpetuates it another day. If you want to erradicate poverty you need to teach people how to get out of poverty and stay out of poverty. That is what the Word of God teaches. You know, give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.
(This is also the problem with the bailout. We can give out a bunch of money but if the irresponsible people don’t change their ways, they are going to go and do the same thing all over again. You can’t fix things with just money. You have to change attitudes and behaviors.)
Also, KCM has never said that “we are going off the air if you don’t give money.” Kenneth always trusts God to supply the needs of the ministry and tells people to give only if God puts it on their heart to give. God’s Kindgom works by sowing and reaping. You can’t plant apple seeds and expect to see corn growing in July. It goes against the natural laws. The same is with God’s kingdom. You can’t sow your seeds into immoral and ungodly things and expect God to bless your finances. That makes as much senses as by analogy of the apple seeds. If you live by God’s principles, you will see God’s promises manifest in your life. I choose to sow into ministries like KCM because I know they are faithful stewards of what God has given them and it is good ground to give my money.
Lastly, I have attended the Great Lakes Conventions the past few years and have never heard anything preached that did not line up with the Word of God.
Let me ask you this…
You obviously agree with the doctrine Kenneth Copeland preaches, does that mean you agree with his doctrine that we are little gods?
If KCM was fighting for “civil liberties” as one suggested, then why don’t they fight this battle for all of those who are being audited? If they are not guilty of any tax violation and have nothing to hide then they shouldn’t object to submitting the required information without any argument or fight.
However, when they are refusing to cooperate with these requests, it tells me there is something they are hiding from public. If they were truly of God, they would not be hindering the information of how much money they receive and where that money goes not only to the IRS, but to those who donate to this “organization”.
And to you “Getfreefromdebt, Jesus was NOT rich. IF you read the Scriptures you would know that He had no place to lay His head. He asked Peter to go and get a coin from the mouth of a fish to pay His taxes. Please get your information from the Bible and not these false teachers who swindle the money from unlearned sheep! If people like you would read from God’s Word and not depend on morsels from these false teachers, then you would know what God says and not some false teacher.
There is nothing truly Christian about Kenneth Copeland. Beware, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
He’s a phoney and he spews lies.
Where is this taught in scripture, ‘So tell me how you expect God to give someone money if it isn’t through another person?’
Where does the Bible say God gives us money?
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”
Here is a command from the Lord Jesus Christ, don’t worry about physical, felt needs. God will meet the needs of His people if they do what? “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
How did God feed and clothe the Israelites? Did they stop at a Caseys? Did they need money for anything? God provided manna, quail, and water from the Rock. Their shoes and clothing never wore out, for forty years {Deut. 29:5}…and not once did they need to withdraw money from their account for anything!
Why is is the Apostles all proclaimed God’s truth under heavy persecution, suffering loss, jailed, beaten, martyred…yet people believe that now the Gospel must be proclaimed by men in three piece designer suits as they travel from city to city on private jets, as they continually preach the ‘sowing of the seed’, as they buy million dollar mansions to live comfortably in? Are we not commanded to NOT love the world, the glitter and glitz, the material things?
Where is the cry for repentance, the warning of the rapidly approaching judgment on this wicked world?
It’s always about money with these types {1 Timothy 6:5}, which is exactly what the Bible foretold concerning false teachers.
“You can’t sow your seeds into immoral and ungodly things and expect God to bless your finances. ”
Oh, and what do you call all those corrupt politicians sowing seeds into the immoral and getting rich by it.
Face it, the easiest way to get rich now is through being immoral.
And who says God blesses his finances? More like his shrewdness and immorality in preaching the word of God gives him his finances and hek, for all we know, it is the devil who works to get him rich to further sow the seeds of Chaos!
The devil will “bless” with material his believers for that is all he can offer…
For ‘getfreefromdebt’, here is some of Copeland’s ‘teachings’, that YOU claim ‘line up’ with scripture…
Copeland says–
That we do not have a god in us but that we are a God…
“You don’t have a God in you. You are one!” – The Force of Love audiotape
That Adam was God manifest in the flesh…
“God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. I mean a reproduction of Himself, and in the Garden of Eden He did just that. He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even. . . . Adam is as much like God as you could get, just the same as Jesus. . . . Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was God manifested in the flesh.”
Following the Faith of Abraham I, side 1
God is the greatest failure in the Universe…
“I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is….The biggest one is God….I mean, He lost His top-ranking, most anointed angel; the first man He ever created; the first woman He ever created; the whole earth and all the Fullness therein; a third of the angels, at least–that’s a big loss, man. . .
Praise-a-Thon program on TBN [April 1988]
God lives on a mother planet…
“Heaven has a north and a south and an east and a west. Consequently, it must be a planet.”
Spirit, Soul and Body I 1985 audiotape #01-0601, side 1
“You don’t think earth was first, do you? Huh? Well, you don’t think that God made man in His image, and then made earth in some other image? There is not anything under this whole sun that’s new. Are you hearing what I’m saying? This is all a copy. It’s a copy of home. It’s a copy of the Mother Planet. Where God lives, He made a little one just like His and put us on it.”
Following the Faith of Abraham I, 1989 audiotape #01-3001, side 1
The death of Jesus on the Cross did not pay the price for sins…
“It wasn’t the physical death on the cross that paid the price for sin..anybody could do that”
What Satan saw on the day of Pentecost
Jesus was raped by homosexual Roman soldiers everyway possible…
“Let me tell you something folks. Anybody in here that’s ever been sexually abused, listen to me right now. Listen to me very carefully. The bible’s very careful about the way it says these things. But down there in that dungeon, Romans, ungodly men, ungodly men, put him (Jesus) to every kind of abuse that you can think of. There is no sin that Jesus didn’t bare. There is no thing, there is no such thing as a sexual abuse on somebody that Jesus doesn’t know firsthand what it’s all about. He’s been where you are, I don’t care what you’ve been through, Jesus has been through it. And everything’s done to him that we we couldn’t even speak of.”
The Resurrection Truth
from http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/kenneth.htm
You apparently don’t want to actually listen to what I have to say so I don’t see the point in trying to answer your questions. You are just looking for someone to attack.
getfreefromdebt…
If we disagree with you, that means we’re attacking you? We correct error because we care, not because we want to attack you. There’s a big difference.
You never did answer my question… do you agree with the theology of Kenneth Copeland that says we are little gods?
For years My husband and I tithed 10% of our income to ministries that we later found out were heretical. Oh boy! We were hitting the lottery left and right! Always at a time when it was most needed, too! What the false teachers were teaching came true!
Then, I prayed that God would reveal every lie that I was believing as truth. One by one He showed me each and every false teaching of the ministries we were giving to. It was hard to believe since we were prospering like they said we would when giving. But, I told my husband that we can’t be giving to them anymore and so we stopped all but giving to our local church and their ministries. And, now we struggle,..
I will take the financial struggle anytime over prosperity that leads to death for all eternity for souls deceived by these ministries!
BTW, one of those ministries said that playing the lottery was not wrong, that God would use even that to prosper us. My husband is now bound to playing it despite how playing it for quick riches will lead surely to poverty! That’s the dangerous side of prosperity gospel teachings…
Get free- on the contrary, I did listen to what you have to say. You said Copeland’s teachings line up with scripture. I have posted some of his teachings, and now ask you, how do these teachings of his line up with God’s word? When Copeland said this, ‘“Let me tell you something folks. Anybody in here that’s ever been sexually abused, listen to me right now. Listen to me very carefully. The bible’s very careful about the way it says these things. But down there in that dungeon, Romans, ungodly men, ungodly men, put him (Jesus) to every kind of abuse that you can think of. There is no sin that Jesus didn’t bare. There is no thing, there is no such thing as a sexual abuse on somebody that Jesus doesn’t know firsthand what it’s all about. He’s been where you are, I don’t care what you’ve been through, Jesus has been through it. And everything’s done to him that we we couldn’t even speak of.”
The Resurrection Truth
Where in the bible are we told our Lord suffered sexual abuse?
You also make this claim,’Jesus didn’t live in poverty. He had so much money He had a treasurer who kept track of things’. Again, would you show us from scripture where this is?
We are to store up treasures in heaven, these treasures cannot be bought with money. Nowhere in scripture does the Lord promise us fat bank accounts and a life of ease and comfort.
From 2 Timothy 3:12, ‘Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. ‘
This is what Christ told the rich young man that asked what must he do to be saved, ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ‘
Instead of desiring wealth, Christ says you should be willing to give it all up, for Him.
You will be hated by the world, ‘If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ John 15:19
Your family will turn against you, ‘And a man’s foes [shall be] they of his own household’ Matt. 10:36
Your family does not take precedence over Christ, ‘”Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.’ Matt. 10:37
For those who follow Christ thinking they’ll have earthly treasure, think again. If that is your heart’s desire, God will remove it from you, if you belong to Him. Why? Because our God is a jealous God, and nothing will take precedence over Him in the hearts of His true children. The human heart must be emptied of worldly treasures if ever the King of Kings is to rule and reign in it. The only desire we should have is a hunger for Christ, nothing else. Seek first His kingdom, and He will provide our needs, but not in excess.
The life of a true follower of Christ is one of trial, persecution, mocking, and being shunned. The Apostle Paul lived such a life, being imprisoned, beaten, mocked…and yet, he rejoiced in the Lord. Those who truly live a life of faith in Christ look like this….’Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.’–Hebrews 11:35-38
What makes us think we are worthy of the comforts of this world? Why would we be any different than those spoken of throughout the scriptures? You cannot serve God and money, they cannot rule side by side in the heart of a born again believer. The throne room of our hearts is to be filled with Christ alone, nothing more. Isn’t that enough?